Introduction

This book explores a new way of thinking about teaching and learning. Its central goal is to help us understand how we think and learn; it will also help teachers understand children and offers a new and helpful perspective on the role of teaching.

The book provides an orientation or way of thinking about the psychological dimensions of teaching and learning. This orientation is discussed in relation to cultural shifts that have influenced all fields of study; in education and psychology, the shift is reflected in the works of such scholars as Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and others. Their work marks a change from a mechanical view of learning to a view of learning as dynamic transformation.

In Learning Is a Verb, Sherrie Reynolds discusses how thinking about teaching and learning must change so that we can create conditions that help children think and interact with one another in helpful, healthy ways. Her engaging, conversational style, together with many examples and observations, will lead readers from reflection on their experiences to a deeper understanding of the changes needed in our educational system.